JAT

The Jats of South Asia are an ethnic group of Indo-Scythian ethnic
decent. Scythian ethnic Migration
component or ethnic part of the Jats of South Asia. The Jats of South
Asia currently have an approximant population of 31 million. The Jat 31
million population is distributed in the following concentration: Punjab
Historical Region (73%), Rajasthan (12%), Uttar Pradesh (9%), Jammu
& Kashmir (2%), Balochistan (1%), NWFP (1%) & Others (2%).

Shiva's Sons, Jat, Kashmir

Jats are commonly considered to be of Indo-Aryan stock in view of the
similar ethnological, cultural, physical features, and common
practices.

Dr Natthan Singh writes that Jats were the pure Aryans and their original homeland was Sapta Sindhu. On the basis of historical facts the Jats are reported to be present in India from 3102 BC. [1][2]
They had to migrate from India on economic, social and political reasons
for some period but they returned back to India. In the migration also
they did not leave their language and cultural traditions. Due to this
reason only Jats do not have linguistic or physical similarities with Huns and Scythians. [3] This view is also supported by Thakur Deshraj
who writes that on the basis of ethnological, physical, cultural and
linguistic standards Jats are pure Aryans who inhabited the areas on the
banks of Ganga-Yamuna or Sarswati-Sindhu during Vedic civilization. [4]

Sir Herbert Risley declared the Rajput and the Jat to be the true representatives of the Vedic Aryans. [8]
Risley has mentioned in 1901 census report that as per their physique Jats are pure Aryans.[9]

Qanungo appeared to rely on Sir Risley's theory. Qanungo wrote,
"The European pioneers of Indian antiquities and ethnology apparently
started with the presumption that fine and energetic martial peoples
like the Rajput and the Jat must have been comparatively newcomer from
the north-west into India who overcame the effete descendants of the
Vedic Aryans (Hindus)----. [10]

If popular tradition counts for anything, it points to the view
that they (Jats) are an essentially Indo-Aryan (Hindus?) People who have
migrated from the east to the west and not Indo-Scythian----and No
Hindu has been ever known to claim a Chinese origin, but the people of
China----[11]

The Jats has been declared by all eminent authorities, to pass
successfully the combined test of the physical type and language of true
Aryan.” [12]

"It is now generally accepted that the Jats who made the northern
plains of India their home were of Aryan stock. The origin of the Jats
has been exhaustively dealt with by K.R. Quanungo, who states
emphatically that the Jats are of Aryan stock (Hindus) that came from
Rajasthan into Punjab". [13]

Dr. Trump and Beams very strongly claimed a pure Indo-Aryan
descent for Jats both in consideration of their physical type and
language, which has been authoritatively pronounced as a pure dialect of
Hindi, without slightest trace of Scythian.

C.V.Vaidya in History of Medieval Hindu India writes that-

“Lastly we have to speak about the Jats. Their ethnological
characteristics also we have already seen, are clearly Aryans. They are
fair tall high nosed and long headed. Does their history contradict of
their being Aryans ? ….. They are the purest Aryans in India and belong
to the first race of Aryans invaders according to our view the solar
race of Aryans. …There is not a scrap of historical evidence even to
suggest much less to prove such immigration there is neither foreign
mention of their coming into India nor have they any tradition of their
own sometime coming into India nor is there any historical India record
stone inscription or other of their so coming, and we can only ascribe
such theories to that unaccountable bias of the winds of many European
and native scholars to assign a foreign and Scythic origin to every fine
and energetic caste in India.” [14]

E.B.Havell writes based on physical features and the language that
Ethnographic investigations show that the Indo Aryan type described in
Hindu epic a tall fair complexioned long headed race with narrow
prominent noses broad shoulders long arms thin waists like a lion and
legs like a deer is how (as it was in the earliest) most confined to
Kashmir the Punjab and Rajputana and represented by the Khattris, Jats
and Rajputs. [15]

The Jat historian Thakur Deshraj refers to E.B.Havell as above and Mr. Nesfield who said that-

“If appearance goes for anything the Jat could not be Aryans.” He
further refers to distribution of races of ‘North Western Provinces of
India’ where it has been said that the arguments derived from language
are strongly in favour of the pure Aryan origin of the Jats. If they
were Scythian conquerors where there Scythian language gone to and how
came it that they now speak and have for centuries spoken an Aryan
language, a dialect of Hindi”. [16]

“Jat” approaches closely to that ascribed to the traditional
Aryan colonies of India. The stature is mostly tall, complexion fair,
eyes dark, hair on face plentiful, head long. Nose narrow and prominent
but very long. [17][18]

The original home of Jats is certainly connected with original home of Aryans, since Jat is definitely a tribe of Aryan race. [19]

World famous Jat scholar Professor B.S. Dhillon states Jat people are Indo-Scythians from historical evidence in History and study of the Jats and recent DNA genectic research studies have shown large amounts of Scythian and White Hun genes in Jats.[25]

Colonel Tod agreed in considering the Jats to be of Indo-Scythian Stock.[26]

Sir Alexander Cunningham, (Former Director-General of the Archeological Survey of India) wrote: The Xanthii (a Scythian tribe) are very probably the Zaths (Jats) of the early Arab writers. As the Zaths were in Sindh to the west of the Indus, this location agrees very well with what we know of the settlement of the Sakas (Scythians) on the Indian frontier.[27]

Sir John Marshall, (Former Director-General of the Archeological Survey of India) wrote: "These Scythian invaders came principally from the three great tribes of Massagetae (great Jats), Sacaraucae, and Dahae (still exists as a Jat clan of Punjab)[28], whose home at the beginning of the second century B.C. was in the country between the Caspian sea (sea) and the Jaxartes river (Central Asia).[29]

Arthur Edward Barstow wrote: "Greeks of Bactria (partly modern Afghanistan), expelled by the hordes of Scythians, entered India in the second and first centuries BC and are said to have penetrated as far as Orissa (an Indian province in south-east). Meanwhile the Medii, Xanthii, Jatii, Getae and other Scythian races, were gradually working their way from the banks of the Oxus(River valley in Central Asia) into Southern Afghanistan and the pastoral highland about Quetta(a Pakistani city),
whence they forced their way by the Bolan Pass, through the Sulaiman
Mountains into India, settling in the Punjab about the beginning of the
first century AD. It is from these Scythian immigrants that most of the Jat tribes are at any rate partly descended."[30]

A.H. Bingley wrote: "It is from these Scythian Immigrants that most of the Jat tribes are at any rate partly descended."[31]

Professor J. Pettigrew wrote: "Another view holds that the
Jats came from Asia Minor and Armenia in the successive invasions during
the period 600 B.C. to A.D. 600."[32]

Professor H.S. Willliams wrote: "The extent of the Scythian
invasion has been variously estimated. Some scholars believe that they
virtually supplanted the previous population of India (means Punjab),
and there seems little doubt that by far the most numerous section of
the Punjab population is of Scythian origin."[33]

Professor P.S. Gill wrote: "There is a general concensus of
opinion that Jats, and with them Rajputs and Gujjars were foreigners who
came from their original home, near the Oxus, Central Asia."[34]

Professor T. Sulimirski wrote: "The evidence of both the ancient authors and the archaeological remains point to a massive migration of Sacian (Sakas) & Massagetae (great Jats) tribes from the Syr Darya Delta (Central Asia) by the middle of the second century B.C. Some of the Syr Darya tribes; they also invaded North India.[35]

H.A Rose wrote: "Many of the Jat tribes of the Punjab have customs which apparently point to non-Aryan origin. Suffice it to say that both Sir Alexander Cunningham and James Tod agreed in considering the Jats to be of Indo-Scythian Stock. The former identified them with the Zanthi of Strabo (Greek Geographer of the ancient times) and the Jatii of Pliny (Roman writer) and Ptolemy(Another Greek Geographer of the ancient times);
and held that they probably entered the Punjab from their home on the
Oxus (in Central Asia) very shortly after the Meds or Mands (still exist
as one of the Jat clans of the Punjab), who also were Indo-Scythians, and who moved into the Punjab about a century before Christ."[36]

Sir H.M. Elliot wrote: "These ignorant tribes (Jats) pointing
to the remote Ghazni (Afghanistan) as their original seat, the very
spot we know to have been occupied by the Yuechi, or, as Klaproth says,
more correctly, Yuti, in the first centuries of our era, after the Sakas(a Scythian tribe)
were repelled back from the frontiers of India, and left the country
between India and Persia open for their occupation. The Jat tribes not
doubt emigrated, no at all once, but at different times, and it is
probable that those in the North-West are among the latest
importations."[37]

I. Sara wrote: "Recent excavations in the Ukraine and Crimea. The finds points to the visible links of the Jat and Scythians."[38]

C.J. Daniell wrote: "Jats, who describe their ancestors as being immigrants from the west."[39]

U.S. Mahil wrote: "Jat were called Scythians; because they were the inhabitants of the ancient country of Scythia. The Jats who invaded the Punjab and conquered India up to Benares were called Indo-Scythians."[41]

J.F. Hewitt wrote: "Further evidence both of the early
history and origin of the race of Jats, or Getae, is given by the
customs and geographical position of another tribe of the same stock,
called the Massagetae, or great (massa) Getae."[42]

Sir George MacMunn (Sir and Lt. General) wrote: "Alexander
came to India in his capacity as the holder of the Persian throne. From
his camp near Kabul (Afghanistan), the Macedonian (Alexander) summoned
those chiefs whom Skylax (Persian general) had conquered in the
old time afore, to come and renew their homage to their ancient Persian
overlord in the person of himself. Several obeyed his summons, others
did not, and it has been surmised that those who did were later
arrivals, of Jat or Scythian origin, outside the normal Aryan fold as
later comers to India."[43]

S.M Latif wrote: "A considerable portion of the routed army
of the Scythians settled in the Punjab, and a race of them, called
Nomardy, inhabited the country on the west bank of the Indus (river).
They are described as a nomadic tribe, living in wooden houses, after
the old Scythian fashion, and settling where they found sufficient
pasturage. A portion of these settlers, the descendants of Massagetae, were called Getes, from whom sprung the modern Jats."[44]

N Singh wrote: "The Scythians appear to originate from Central Asia. They reached Punjab between 50 B.C. and A.D. 50. It seems probable that the Scythian ancestors of the Jats entered the Sindh valley (presently in Pakistan Kashmir) between 100 B.C. and A.D. 100."[46]

Formation of Jat Sangha
The most acceptable theory about the origin of the word, 'Jat' is
that it has originated from the Sanskrit language word “Gyat” . The
Mahabharata mentions in chapter 25, shloka 26 that Lord Krishna
founded a federation ‘Gana-sangha’ of the Andhak and Vrishni clans.
This federation was known as ‘Gyati-sangh’. Over a period of time ‘Gyati’ became ‘Gyat’ and it changed to Jat.

Prior to Mahabharata War the kshatriyas were known by their vansha. Pandava vanshi were known as Pandavas, Gandhar Vanshi as Gandhars, Raghuvansha as Raghuvanshi etc. After Mahabharata War the population of kshatriyas came down due to large number of them killed in Mahabharata war. The kshatriyas became week as there was no uniting force. Krishna
realized the dangers of this situation. He was a great politician,
visionary personality and an expert planner. He knew very well the
divisive approach of the various kshatriyas
and that their attitude of enmity could not be resolved without
bringing them under one umbrella of organization. He therefore united
all the kshatriya clans under one organization which was known as Gyati Sangha which was accepted by all kshatriya. All democratic clans were included in this Sangha. [47]

The vansha of Krishna was also Jat. The idea of formation of federation or sangha was supported by Pandava vanshi Yudhisthira and his brothers. Large number of Mahabharata Period kshatriya clans are found in present day Jats. Pandava vanshi Jats are found in today’s Jat community in Gujaranwala city in Punjab. The then existing Rajavanshas such as Gandhara, Yadava, Sindhu, Naga, Lava, Kushama, Bandar (vanar), Nardeya etc. accepted the proposal of formation of the Jat Sangha and merged into this sangha. The Gandhar clan of Jats is found in Raghunathpura in district Badaun and Aligarh. The Yadava vanshi Jats are found in Dharmpur in district Badaun. Sindhu is a well known clan who gave names to the country Sindh and the Sindhu River. Sindhu Jats are found in Punjab and Haryana. The Naga clan Jats are found in villages Khudaganj and Rampuria in Badaun district. Lava and Kushama gotra are descendants of Rama’s son Lava and Kusha. Both these Jat gotras are found in Nagla Magola (नागला मगोला), Soniga Kheda (सोनिगा खेड़ा) district Badaun. Similarly Bandar or Vanar gotra (the gotra of Hanuman) is found in Punjab and Haryana. Nardeya gotra Jats are also found in Kant (कांट) district Muradabad. These are only few examples. There were large number of Jat gotra who accepted Jat Sangha are still found amongst Jats. [48]

From Gauts or Goths
The other prominent theory of the word's origins is that Jat came from the word Gaut tribal name of some Indo-Aryan tribes of Central Asia (such as those which later became Gauts/Goths and settled in Europe), which was written in 'Jattan Da Ithihas'. It has also been mentioned by Bhim Singh Dahiya.

From Yat
According to the historian 'Ram Lal Hala' the word Jat is drived from word 'Yat'. There was a king named 'Yat' in Chandravanshi clan who was ancestor of Lord Krishna. The Jats are descendants of King Yat. 'Yat' later changed to 'Jat'.

Pārvatī asks Shiva,
O Lord Bhutesha, knower of all religions, kindly narrate about the
birth and exploits of the Jat race. Who is their father?, Who is their
mother? Which race are they? When were they born? Having read the mind
of Parvati, Shiva said, "O mother of the world, I may tell you honestly
the origin and exploits of the Jats about whom none else has so far
revealed anything to you. They are symbol of sacrifice, bravery and
industry. They are, like gods, firm of determination and of all the kshatriyā, the Jats are the prime rulers of the earth. They are the progeny of the Virabhadra (Shiva's son) and gani,
the daughter of Daksha, son of Brahma. The history of origin of Jats is
extremely wonderful and their antiquity glorious. The Pundits of
history did not record their annals lest it should injure and impair
their false pride and of the vipras and gods.

Translation - "Shiva
said, The history of origin of Jats is extremely wonderful and their
antiquity glorious. The Pundits of history did not record their annals,
lest it should injure and impair their false pride and of the vipras and gods."
The two ethnologists, Russel and Hira Lal [52] give a different version of the above anecdote in the "Brahmanical legends of origin of the Jats", which is reproduced below:

"The Jats relate the legend thus. On the occasion when Raja Daksha, father-in-law of Mahadeva (Shiva)
was performing a great sacrifice, he invited all the gods to present
except his son-in-law Mahadeva. The latter's wife, Parvati, was,
however, very eager to go; so she asked Mahadeva to let her attend, even
though she had not been invited. Mahadeva was unwilling to allow her,
but finally consented. Daksha treated Parvati with great want of respect
at the sacrifice, so she came home and told Mahadeva about her plight.
When Mahadeva heard all this he was filled with wrath and untying his
matted hair (jata) dashed it on the ground, whence two powerful beings
arose from it. He sent them to destroy Daksha's sacrifice and they went
and destroyed it. From these were descended the race of Jats, and they
take their name from the matted locks (jata) of the Lord Shiva. Another saying of the Jats is that the ancestors of the Rajputs was from Kashyapa and that of the Jats from the Shiva. In the beginning these were the only two races in India." [53]
It is also mentioned that after the destruction of Daksha's sacrifice by Virabhadra and his Ganas, the followers of Shiva,
the defeated gods sought Brahma and asked his counsel. Brahma advised
the gods to make their peace with Shiva. Shiva accepted his advice and
restored the burnt head of Daksha and the broken limbs were made whole.
Then the devas thanked Shiva for his gentleness, and invited him to
sacrifice. There Daksha looked on him with reverence, the rite was duly
performed, and there also Vishnu appeared. A compromise was achieved between Vaishnavas and followers of Shiva.

The above theory was set afloat during the medieval age which is
marked by ascendancy of powerful Rajput warriors. It was a period of
unhealthy growth of blind superstitions, the decay and death of
adventure in science and thought in practical life. It was a period
during which "the fairy of the fortune of the Jats, particularly after
Harsha Vardhana, had gone to sleep." The theory cast a spell on the mind
of the simple Jat folk and soon became popular with them. They were
taken by pious fraud that they were born from the highest bodily part
(jata) of the highest god (Shiva) where as all others are born of the
lower part of Brahma.[54]

According to Y.P. Shastri, [55] the theory was propounded to win back the Jats, who had en mass
embraced Buddhism, to Neo-Hinduism preached and propagated by
Shankaracharya and his followers. This theory seemed to work wonders as
there are no followers of Buddhism in Jats. Whereas Y.P. Shastri hints
at religious purpose of the theory, Dr.A.B. Mukerjee,[56]
an ethno-geographer stresses its political and social purpose.
According to him " at the end of the ancient period of Indian History
great instability prevailed in the social structure of the people and
great political changes were effected. The Rajputs became the rulers and
Jats their subject, a fact very well borne out by historical data
(Ibbetson:1916) consequently, the social status of the latter groups
declined and they were regarded as of lowly ranks. Of course, after the
fall of Harsha Vardhana of the Aulikar or Virk gotra, the political and social status of the Jats especially in Rajasthan,
had declined to a great extent. Possibly to counteract the intolerable
superiority assumed by the Rajputs, this theory might have been
invented. [57]

Bhim Singh Dahiya[58]
points to yet another purpose of the theory. According to him
"Something must have happened in the sixth or seventh century AD, during
the course of the revival of orthodox Brahmanism, which made these
people (Jats) persona non grata with the new orthodox. That is
why when the Puranas were revised, their historical details and even
their names were removed therefrom.
It is perhaps to this state of affairs that the Deva Samhita refers when
it records that " nobody has published the truth about the origin and
activities of the Jat race." At another place he assumes that "the Jats
were the first rulers in the vast central asian plains as per Deva
Samhita." [59]

The theory is obviously figurative and its use is simply allegorical. The meaning it conveys is that there were so many Ganas of warrior tribes at the command of Virabhadra or Kartikeya, the son of Shiva,
whose abode was the Sivalak mountain. The function of this mythological
theory is to ensure a more honourable antiquity and status to the Jats
in comparison with others, especially Brahmans like Kephart, Jewitt and
Waddel count the Jats among the ruling races of prehistoric times in
India.[60]

According to Hukum Singh Panwar(Pauria), it may, however, be
interesting to note that a Jat tribe, living in about 25 contiguous
villages in Jind district of Haryana and about 5 villages in Nangloi block of Delhi , goes by its gotra name as Shivakhande or Sheokhand. of late this gotra has been Arabicised as Shokeen in Delhi villages. Yet the elders of SheokhandKhap area take pride in the fact that they originally hail from the Dharans, whose kingdom was rather misnomered as "Gupta empire"
in Indian history. Be that as it may, one thing is plausible about the
Jats of Sheokhande clan. They must be the Sivas who fought against the
Bharatas on the Jamuna River in one of the ten Rigvedic wars. They are
identified by scholars with the Shivis[61] or the Sibis of the Usinara country in the north of Haridwar near the source of Ganges.[62]
The Sivas or Sibis became known as Shivakhande or Sheokhande from and
after the Shivalaks, the abode of Lord Shiva, the highest deity of the
Jats. Their descent from the Shivalak hills has provided good grounds to
the author of Devasamhita to expound this theory.[63]

Nomenclature of Jat
The nomenclature of the word Jat is variously spelt, in
different periods, as Jit, Jat (pl. Jatān), Jat, finally Jāt. The sixth
century Pali inscription (dated samvat 597-56 = 541 AD) mentions the
race as Jit. Thus the term ‘Jit’ probably derives its nomenclature after
the epithet of the founder of the tribe Jit Salindra. [64] According to James Tod, in Rajasthan and Punjab the tribe retained their ancient name Jit. [65][66]

The Persianized form of the ancient term Jit is Jat (जट) with short vowel and double short ‘t’. [67]

The jatt is generally referred by the Ghaznavid chronicler of the eleventh century (Gardezi, Alberuni, and Baihaqi); [68][69][70] in the history of Sind (Chachnama and Tarikh-i-Masumi); by the Delhi Sultanate’s chronicler’s Isami; [71] and by the 18th century mystic writer Shah Wali Allah in his political letters. [72] Thus, in the Indus Valley up to Saurashtra, the tribes are known as Jat. [73]
The author of Majmulat-Tawarikh tends to believe that the Arabs called the Sindh people Jat. [74] In Sindhi dialect, the term is pronounced as ‘Yat’ and means ‘a camel-driver or breeder of camels’ [75]
While the author of Dabistan-i-Mazahib (c. 1665) states that ‘Jat’ in
the language of Punjab (read Jataki) means ‘a villager, a rustic’
(dahistani, rusta’i). [76][77]

During Mughal period, phonetic and dialectic changes occurred, thus
Deccan chronicler Firishta mentions them as ‘Jat (जट)’ with short vowel
and hard ‘t’. [78]
Finally the term gained the present day phonetic in Ain-i-Akbari, when
Abul Fazl mentions the tribe as ‘Jāt’ with long vowel ‘a’ and hard ‘t’.
It is said that the term derives from middle Indo-Aryan term 'Jata'. [79][80]
In view of O’Brien in Jataki language the ‘Jat (जात)’ – the herdsmen and
camel grazer is spelt with soft ‘t’, while the ‘Jat (जाट)’- the
cultivator with hard ‘t’. [81] However, in present day the tribes, almost all the cultivators, are known as Jāt (जाट) especially in the Yamuna-Ganges Valley. [82]

In Arabanized form, the term is mentioned as Zat or Zutt (in Arabic 'J' changes for 'Z') by the Arab geographers. [83][84][85] Thus, the nomenclature of the tribe is of post-sanskrit Indian origin and belongs to the Indo-Aryan language. [86]

Yayati (ययाति) was a Puranic king and the son of king Nahusha. He was a great scholar of Vedas. He had two wives, Devyani and Sharmishtha.
Devyani was the daughter of Shukracharya, the priest of Asuras.
Sharmishtha was the daughter of the Demon King Vrishparva. Sharmishtha
was a friend and servant of Devyani.

The descendants of Yadu are called Yadavvanshi in which was born Krishna, the founder of Jat sangha.

Genealogical tables of Yayati dynasty are reproduced below from “Todd’s Rajasthan based on Agni Puran.

Yadu was
banished from ruling and had become rebel who first started ruling in
outskirts of India and then intruded the mainland. The jambudwepa
referred in scriptures is believed to be in memory of these islands. The
regions where the Yadu clan settled is not certain, but certain
scholars suggest that Yadu clan inherited the territories to the
south-west of the Gangetic plains, between the Chambal River, Betwa and
Ken, which correspond to the border areas of present Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Descendants of yadu were called Yadavavanshi. Krishna was born in this vansha.

Almost all early Jat rulers have been mentioned by contemporary poets as Yaduvanshis. The poet Sudan[7], poet Somnath [8], poet Udayram [9] have written about the origin of Sinsinwar Jat rulers of Bharatpur as under -

Jat historian Bhaleram Beniwal has written after recent researches with evidences in his book "Jāton kā Ādikālīn Itihās" [10]that
Krishna was by all evidences nothing other than Jat. He has mentioned
the above refered evidences in addition to the following authors which
mention Krishna as Jats. These are Yogendrapal Shastri[11], Motilal Gupta [12] Walter Hamilton[13].

The Muslim contries have a notion that Jats are the ancestors
of Yadavas. The Arabian traveller Al-Biruni has mentioned that Lord
Krishna was a Jat. [14]

Dr Natthan Singh has also mentioned the theory of origin of Jats from Yadu. Yadu was banished from ruling by Yayati for not obeying him and made his other son Puru
as king. Yadu had become rebel who first started ruling in outskirts of
India in south-west border areas. Slowly he gained strength by forming a
federation of Shaka, Pallava, Parad, Yavan and Kamboja tribes. The king
Sagar
failed his these attempts and suppressed them. In order to avoid
confrontation with Sagar, the Yaduvanshis came to Sursena area
(Mathura). Here he again formed a federation of 18 tribes. One of thse
tribe was vrishni in which Krishna was born. Many historians connect Jats with these Yadus.
Looking to similar physical features, food habits, life and culture
both Jats and Yaduvanshis can be treated belonging to same caste.[15]

Puru
The descendants of Puru included the famous Kauravas and Pandavas of Mahabharata.

The Purus are tribe or a confederation of tribes mentioned in the
Rigveda. RV 7.96.2 locates them at the banks of the Sarasvati River.
They were defeated by king Sudas at the Battle of the Ten Kings. The
descendants of Puru were called Pauravas. The Pauravas was the name
given to the many petty kingdoms and tribes of ancient northwest India
in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE. The Pauravas were all situated on or
near the Indus river where their monarchs grew rich and prosperous
through trade. The Persian kings Darius and Xerxes claimed suzerainty
over many of the Pauravas, but this claim was loose at best. The most
powerful tribes, the Ambhi and Porus,
were cowed by the Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great in 326 BCE,
but he did not go on to conquer the entire area because his army simply
refused to go any further. The region was eventually absorbed into the Mauryan Empire.

The Puranas say that they moved north and west, and then settled in Gandhara, Aratta (northwest Punjab) and Setu. (VP IV.17) The Druhyus were driven out of the land of the seven rivers by Mandhatr and their next king Ghandara settled in a north-western region which became known as Ghandara. The sons of the later Druhyu king Pracetas finally migrate to the region north of Afghanistan.( Bhagavata 9.23.15-16; Visnu 4.17.5; Vayu 99.11-12; Brahmanda 3.74.11-12 and Marsya 48.9.)

Some scholars say they could be related to Zoroastrian, Iranian, Greek or European peoples.

They were probably a north-western people[17]. In the Hindu epics, they are connected with Ghandara.[18]

AnuAnu In Sumerian mythology and later for Assyrians and Babylonians,
Anu (also An; 𒀭) was a sky-god, the god of heaven, lord of
constellations, king of gods, spirits and demons, and dwelt in the
highest heavenly regions. It was believed that he had the power to judge
those who had committed crimes, and that he had created the stars as
soldiers to destroy the wicked. He was the father of the Anunnaku (also
spelled Anunnaki).

He was the oldest god in the Sumerian pantheon, and part of a
triad including Enlil, god of the sky and Enki, god of water. He was
called Anu by the Akkadians, rulers of Mesopotamia after the conquest of
Sumer in 2334 BCE
by King Sargon of Akkad. By virtue of being the first figure in a triad
consisting of Anu, Bel and Ea, Anu came to be regarded as the father
and at first, king of the gods. Anu is so prominently associated with
the city of Uruk, Biblical Erech in southern Babylonia that there are
good reasons for believing this place to have been the original seat of
the Anu cult. If this be correct, then the goddess Inanna (or Ishtar) of Uruk may at one time have been his consort.

According to the Earth Chronicles series by Zecharia Sitchin, the
wife of Anu was a fertility goddess and the mother of the gods; her
cult was centered in Munster. However, Anu was one of the Anunnaki who
came from the planet Nibiru (Marduk).
According to Sitchin's theories on Sumerian legend and lore, the
Anunnaki arrived first on Earth probably 400,000 years ago, looking for
minerals, especially gold, which they found and mined in Africa.

Story of Yayati
One day as Devyani and Sharmishtha along with the hoard
of servants were amusing themselves in a park, King Yayati happened to
pass by. Devyani had been secretly in love with Yayati as he had once
rescued her from a dry well. Devyani and Sharmishtha introduced
themselves to him and Devyani confessed to being in love with him and
asked him to marry her. Yayati said, "Unless your father gives you to me
in marriage I will not accept you as my wife." Shukracharya gave in to
his daughter's request and agreed to give her away in marriage to King
Yayati. As dowry he gave away Sharmishtha. He however warned Yayati that
he should never let Sharmishtha share his bed.

Sharmishtha was given a place to live in a shaded glade called
Ashok Vatika. One day Yayati happened to pass by Ashok Vatika where
Sharmishtha lived. Seeing him, Sharmishtha confessed that she too was in
love with the king and wanted him to marry her. She told him that she
belonged to a royal family and Yayati could marry her. Yayti agreed and
they wed in secret. They continued to meet and hid the fact from Devyani
that they were married.

When Devyani came to know about the relationship of Yayati
and Sharmishtha and their three sons she felt shocked and betrayed.
Devyani went away to her father's house. Shukracharya was displeased
with the king, and cursed that he would lose his youth and become an old
man immediately.

As soon as Shukracharya uttered his curse Yayati became an old
man. Shukracharya also said that his curse once uttered could not be
taken back and added that the only concession he could give was that if
Yayati wanted he could give his old age to someone and take their youth
from them. Yayati was relieved at the reprieve he was given and
confident that his sons would willingly exchange their youth with him.
Yayati went back to his kingdom.
Yayati requested all his five sons one by one to give their youth to him
to enjoy the worldly happiness. All the sons except Puru rejected his
demand. So Yayati took the youth of Puru and enjoyed all the subjects. PuruYayati.

Dalip Singh Ahlawat writes that Yayati is the epi-person of Jats. Due to this reason Yayat-Yat-Jat is used for this vansh. In practice we have been calling Jats as Chandravanshi in place of Yayat-Vansh. Many of the Jat Gotras are derived from five sons of Yayati and seven gotras from sons of Virabhadra. [20]

Dalip Singh Ahlawat writes that Yayati was the ruler of Jambudwipa (Asia). The traces of Yayati rule are present historically. There is a place called Jajpur about 10 km from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, where one finds ruins of ancient fort known as "Yayati ke Kot" means the forts of Yayati. Similarly there is a well near Sambhar lake in Rajasthan known by the name of Devyani ka Kuan in which Devyani was pushed into the well due to enmity and Yayati had rescued her from that dry well.[21]

According to Thakur Deshraj, [22]The Chandravanshi Aryans of India had habitations in Iran which were known as Jatali. Majority of them were gyatiwadi (republics). He has refered General Cunninngham [23]who has mentioned the presence of Yayati Vanshi Jats in Jatali. Yayati was son of Nahusha.
This province got the name Jatali being the habitation of Jats. The
language of these Jats is Jadgali (alternate names, Jatgali, Jatki,
Jat) [24]